The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Terrorism Investigations

This report provides background information on key elements of the FBI terrorism investigative
process based on publicly available information. It discusses several enhanced investigative tools, authorities, and capabilities provided to the
FBI through post-9/11 legislation, such as the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001; the
2008 revision to the Attorney General's Guidelines for Domestic FBI Operations
(Mukasey Guidelines); and the expansion of Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF)
throughout the country; intelligence reform within the FBI and concerns about the progress of those
reform initiatives; the FBI's proactive, intelligence-driven posture in its terrorism investigations
using preventative policing techniques such as the "Al Capone" approach and the
use of agent provocateurs; and the implications for privacy and civil liberties inherent in the use of preventative
policing techniques to combat terrorism.
This report sets forth possible considerations for Congress as it executes its oversight role. These
issues include the extent to which intelligence has been integrated into FBI operations to support
its counterterrorism mission and the progress the Bureau has made on its intelligence reform
initiatives